Early detection of breast cancer and other types of cancer typically result in a higher survival rate. Despite a widely accepted standard of mammography screenings for breast cancer detection, there are many reasons that cancer is often not detected early. One reason is low participation in breast screening, as a result of factors such as fear of radiation and discomfort. In particular, the mammography procedure involves compression of the breast tissue between parallel plates to increase the X-ray image quality by providing a more uniform tissue thickness and stabilizing the tissue. However, this compression is typically uncomfortable, or even painful. Mammography has additional drawbacks, such as limited performance among women with dense breast tissue and a high rate of “false alarms” that lead to unnecessary biopsies that are collectively expensive and result in emotional duress in patients.
Ultrasound tomography is one imaging modality in development that may be a practical alternative to mammography. However, there is a need in ultrasound tomography applications to provide a system that controls provision of a scanning medium in a robust manner. This invention provides such a new and useful system for providing scanning medium.